S5 Epsiode 5: The Practical Power of Shamanic Journey Work

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Three years ago, if you’d asked me whether I’d ever call myself a shamanic practitioner, I would have laughed.

And yet here we are.

In this episode, I unpack what shamanism actually is (beyond feathers and smoke), what shamanic journey work involves, and why — despite the mystical language — it’s one of the most practical healing tools I use with clients.

Shamanism is not a religion. It’s not about blind belief. At its heart, it’s a cross-cultural, nature-based philosophy rooted in right relationship — with yourself, with others, and with the living world around you.

And journey work? It’s a way of accessing insight beyond the analytical mind.

I talk about:

• What a shaman actually does (hint: it’s about restoring balance, not being a guru)
• Ordinary vs non-ordinary awareness and why you don’t need to “believe” in anything to benefit
• Why insight alone isn’t enough to change patterns
• How integration is the piece that makes this work powerful
• Soul retrieval and how it maps onto trauma and dissociation
• Power animals as embodied inner resources (yes, even porcupine 🦔)
• Why this work doesn’t re-traumatise you and how it can help reconnect you with lost parts of yourself

I also share a personal example of ancestral belief work that helped me uncover and begin healing a deeply rooted “women are worthless” lineage pattern — something I could not have accessed through intellect alone.

If you keep finding yourself repeating the same patterns…
If you have insight but can’t make change stick…
If you know there’s something deeper running the show…

Journey work may be the missing piece.

Work With Me

If you’d like to experience this work directly:

✨ Shamanic Healing Sessions (60 mins) – guided journey work + integration coaching
✨ Soul Retrieval (90 mins) – deeper ancestral and soul part healing
✨ Power Animal Retrieval (60 mins) – discover and embody your inner resource

You can book HERE.

If you’re in Johannesburg, I’d love to invite you to Weaving a New Way (14–15 March at Windrush Studio), a weekend immersion working with the Andean Medicine Wheel — serpent, jaguar, hummingbird and eagle — to help you shift patterns and make real change take root.

This work is mystical.
It is practical.
And it’s deeply, profoundly human.

Find out more HERE.

If this episode resonates, I’d love to hear from you - send me

If you’re done playing small and ready to lead yourself — you’re in the right place.

I’m Emma O’Brien — Martha Beck trained and certified life coach, HeartMath practitioner, and shamanic healer helping high-achieving women stop second-guessing themselves and finally trust their own voice.

Through nervous system re-calibration, strategic coaching, and deep energetic work, I help you move from self-doubt to self-trust so you can create a life you actually want to be in — no external approval required.

🌀 Want to work together?

Explore the 6-week Nervous System Reset, 1:1 coaching, or Shamanic Soul Retrieval sessions here: emmaobriencoach.com

Questions or ready to chat?

DM me on Instagram @emmaobriencoach
or book a free connection call HERE.